The Hare Krsnas - The Philosophy - Writings of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Chapter 16
The Pastimes of the Lord in His Childhood and Youth

This chapter fully describes Lord Caitanya's kaisora-lila, or the activities He performed just before attaining youth. During this time He studied deeply and was victorious over greatly learned scholars. During His kaisora-lila the Lord also sported in the water. He went to East Bengal to secure financial assistance, cultivate knowledge and introduce the sankirtana movement, and there He met Tapana Misra, whom He instructed about spiritual advancement and ordered to go to Varanasi. While Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring East Bengal, His wife, Laksmidevi, was bitten by a serpent or by the serpent of separation, and thus she left this world. When the Lord returned home, He saw that His mother was overwhelmed with grief because of Laksmidevi's death. Therefore at her request He later married His second wife, Visnupriya-devi. This chapter also describes the Lord's argument with Kesava Kasmiri, the celebrated scholar, and the Lord's criticism of his prayer glorifying mother Ganges. In this prayer the Lord found five kinds of literary ornaments and five kinds of literary faults, thus defeating the pandita. Later the Kasmiri Pandita, who was known to have been victorious all over the country, submitted himself to the goddess of learning, and by her order he met Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the morning of the next day and surrendered unto Him.

TEXT 1
krpa-sudha-sarid yasya
visvam aplavayanty api
nica-gaiva sada bhati
tam caitanya-prabhum bhaje
SYNONYMS krpa-sudha--of the nectar of the mercy; sarit--river; yasya--whose; visvam--the whole universe; aplavayanti--inundating; api--although; nica-ga eva--more inclined to the poor and fallen; sada--always; bhati--is manifest; tam--Him; caitanya-prabhum--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhaje--I worship.

TRANSLATION I worship Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose nectarean mercy flows like a great river, inundating the entire universe. Just as a river flows downstream, Lord Caitanya especially extends Himself to the fallen. PURPORT Narottama dasa Thakura has sung, sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu daya kara more. He prays for Lord Caitanya's mercy because He is the mercy incarnation, having appeared especially to claim the fallen souls. The more fallen one is, the greater one's claim to the favor of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One must only be very sincere and serious. Despite being contaminated by all the bad qualities of this Kali-yuga, if one surrenders unto the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord will surely and certainly deliver him. The best example is Jagai and Madhai. In this Age of Kali practically everyone is like Jagai and Madhai, but the sankirtana movement inaugurated by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is still flowing like a great river, inundating the entire world, and thus the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is successfully claiming all fallen souls to free them from contamination.

TEXT 2
jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda
SYNONYMS jaya jaya sri-caitanya--all glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya--all glories; nityananda--to Lord Nityananda Prabhu; jaya advaitacandra--all glories to Advaitacandra; jaya--all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda--to all the devotees of the Lord.

TRANSLATION All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord!

TEXT 3
jiyat kaisora-caitanyo
murti-matya grhasramat
laksmyarcito 'tha vag-devya
disam jayi-jaya-cchalat
SYNONYMS jiyat--long live; kaisora--situated in the kaisora age; caitanyah--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; murti-matya--having accepted such a body; grha-asramat--from a householder's life; laksmya--by Laksmi; arcitah--being worshiped; atha--then; vak-devya--by the goddess of learning; disam--of all directions; jayi--the conqueror; jaya-chalat--on the plea of conquering.

TRANSLATION Long live Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His kaisora age! Both the goddess of fortune and the goddess of learning worship Him. The goddess of learning, Sarasvati, worshiped Him in His victory over the scholar who had conquered all the world, and the goddess of fortune, Laksmidevi, worshiped Him at home. Since He is therefore the husband or Lord of both goddesses, I offer my obeisances unto Him.

TEXT 4
ei ta' kaisora-lilara sutra-anubandha
sisya-gana padaite karila arambha
SYNONYMS ei ta'--thus; kaisora--the age of kaisora (the age between the eleventh and fifteenth years); lilara--of the pastimes; sutra-anubandha--chronological synopsis; sisya-gana--students; padaite--to teach; karila--did; arambha--begin.

TRANSLATION At the age of eleven Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to teach students. This marks the beginning of His kaisora age.

TEXT 5
sata sata sisya sange sada adhyapana
vyakhya suni sarva-lokera camakita mana
SYNONYMS sata sata--very many; sisya--disciples; sange--along with Him; sada--always; adhyapana--studying; vyakhya--explanation; suni--hearing; sarva-lokera--of all people; camakita--astonished; mana--minds.

TRANSLATION As soon as the Lord became a teacher, many, many students came to Him, every one of them astonished to hear His mode of explanation.

TEXT 6
sarva-sastre sarva pandita paya parajaya
vinaya-bhangite karo duhkha nahi haya
SYNONYMS sarva-sastre--in all scriptures; sarva--all; pandita--learned scholars; paya--obtain; parajaya--defeat; vinaya--gentle; bhangite--by behavior; karo--anyone's; duhkha--unhappiness; nahi--does not; haya--become.

TRANSLATION The Lord defeated all kinds of scholars in discourses about all the scriptures, yet because of His gentle behavior, none of them were unhappy.

TEXT 7
vividha auddhatya kare sisya-gana-sange
jahnavite jala-keli kare nana range
SYNONYMS vividha--various; auddhatya--impudences; kare--does; sisya-gana--His disciples; sange--with; jahnavite--in the water of the Ganges; jala-keli--sporting in the water; kare--does; nana--in various; range--jokes.

TRANSLATION The Lord, as a teacher, performed various kinds of pranks in His sporting pastimes in the water of the Ganges.

TEXT 8
kata dine kaila prabhu bangete gamana
yahan yaya, tahan laoyaya nama-sankirtana
SYNONYMS kata dine--after a few days; kaila--did; prabhu--the Lord; bangete--in East Bengal; gamana--touring; yahan yaya--wherever He goes; tahan--there; laoyaya--induces; nama-sankirtana--the sankirtana movement.

TRANSLATION After some days the Lord went to East Bengal, and wherever He went He introduced the sankirtana movement.

PURPORT Although Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees in disciplic succession can defeat all kinds of learned scholars, scientists and philosophers in arguments, thus establishing the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead, their main business as preachers is to introduce sankirtana everywhere. Simply to defeat scholars and philosophers is not the occupation of a preacher. Preachers must simultaneously introduce the sankirtana movement, for that is the mission of the Caitanya cult.

TEXT 9
vidyara prabhava dekhi camatkara cite
sata sata paduya asi lagila padite
SYNONYMS vidyara--of His learning; prabhava--the influence; dekhi--seeing; camatkara--wonder; cite--within the heart; sata sata--many hundreds; paduya--disciples or students; asi--coming there; lagila--began; padite--to study.

TRANSLATION Struck with wonder by the influence of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's intellectual prowess, many hundreds of students came to the Lord and began studying under His direction.

TEXT 10
sei dese vipra, nama----misra tapana
niscaya karite nare sadhya-sadhana
SYNONYMS sei dese--in that region of East Bengal; vipra--a brahmana; nama--named; misra tapana--Tapana Misra; niscaya karite--to ascertain; nare--not able; sadhya--objective; sadhana--process.

TRANSLATION In East Bengal there was a brahmana named Tapana Misra who could not ascertain the objective of life or how to attain it.

PURPORT One must first ascertain the object of life and then understand how to attain it. The Krsna consciousness movement is pointing out to everyone that the object of life is to understand Krsna, and to attain that goal of life one must practice Krsna consciousness, following the methods prescribed by the Gosvamis with reference to the authoritative sastras and Vedas.

TEXT 11
bahu-sastre bahu-vakye citte bhrama haya
sadhya-sadhana srestha na haya niscaya
SYNONYMS bahu-sastre--by many books or scriptures; bahu-vakye--by many versions of many persons; citte--within the heart; bhrama--doubt; haya--there is; sadhya-sadhana--objective and means; srestha--about the best; na--not; haya--there is; niscaya--certainty.

TRANSLATION If one becomes a bookworm, reading many books and scriptures and hearing many commentaries and the instructions of many men, this will produce doubt within his heart. One cannot in this way ascertain the real goal of life. PURPORT In Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.13.8) it is said, granthan naivabhyased bahun na vyakhyam upayunjita: "One should not read many books, nor should one try to make a profession of reciting many books, especially if one is a devotee." One must give up the ambition to be a learned scholar and in this way earn a worldly reputation and financial facilities. If one diverts his attention to studying many books, he cannot fix his mind in devotional service, nor can he understand many scriptures, for they are full of grave statements and meanings. In this connection Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gives his opinion that those who are attracted to studying many kinds of literature concerning various subject matters, especially fruitive activities and philosophical speculation, are deprived of unalloyed devotional service because of their splayed attention.
Man has a general tendency toward fruitive activities, religious ritualistic ceremonies and philosophical speculation. A living entity thus bewildered since time immemorial does not understand the real goal of life, and thus his activities in life are wasted. Innocent persons misled in this way are deprived of unalloyed krsna-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord. Tapana Misra is a vivid example of such a person. He was a learned scholar, but he could not ascertain what the goal of life is. Therefore he was given a chance to hear Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructing Sanatana Gosvami. Lord Caitanya's instruction to Tapana Misra is especially significant for persons who loiter here and there collecting books and reading none of them, thus becoming bewildered regarding the aim of life.

TEXT 12
svapne eka vipra kahe,----sunaha tapana
nimani-pandita pase karaha gamana
SYNONYMS svapne--in a dream; eka--one; vipra--brahmana; kahe--says; sunaha--just hear; tapana--Tapana Misra; nimani-pandita--of the name Nimai Pandita; pase--unto Him; karaha gamana--go.

TRANSLATION Tapana Misra, being thus bewildered, was directed by a brahmana in a dream to go to Nimai Pandita [Caitanya Mahaprabhu].

TEXT 13
tenho tomara sadhya-sadhana karibe niscaya
saksat isvara tenho,----nahika samsaya
SYNONYMS tenho--He; tomara--your; sadhya--objective of life; sadhana--process; karibe--will do; niscaya--ascertain; saksat--direct; isvara--the Lord; tenho--He is; nahika--there is no; samsaya--doubt.

TRANSLATION "Because He is the Lord [isvara]," the brahmana told him, "undoubtedly He can give you proper direction."

TEXT 14
svapna dekhi' misra asi' prabhura carane
svapnera vrttanta saba kaila nivedane
SYNONYMS svapna dekhi'--by seeing the dream; misra--Tapana Misra; asi'--coming; prabhura--of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; carane--at the shelter of the lotus feet; svapnera--of the dream; vrttanta--details; saba--all; kaila--did; nivedane--inform Him.

TRANSLATION After seeing the dream, Tapana Misra came to the shelter of Lord Caitanya's lotus feet, and he described all the details of the dream to the Lord.

TEXT 15
prabhu tusta hana sadhya-sadhana kahila
nama-sankirtana kara,----upadesa kaila
SYNONYMS prabhu--the Lord; tusta--satisfied; hana--becoming; sadhya-sadhana--the objective and the process; kahila--described; nama-sankirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra; kara--practice; upadesa kaila--gave him the instruction.

TRANSLATION The Lord, being satisfied, instructed him about the object of life and the process to attain it. He instructed him that the basic principle of success is to chant the holy name of the Lord [the Hare Krsna maha-mantra].

PURPORT The Krsna consciousness movement is based upon this instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra regularly and according to the prescribed principles. We simply ask our Western students to chant at least sixteen rounds a day, but sometimes we find that they fail to chant even these sixteen rounds, and instead they bring many austere books and a worshiping method that diverts their attention in so many ways. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult is based upon the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. Lord Caitanya first advised Tapana Misra to fix his mind in this chanting. We, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement, must strictly follow this advice of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 16
tanra iccha,----prabhu-sange navadvipe vasi
prabhu ajna dila,----tumi yao varanasi
SYNONYMS tanra iccha--his desire; prabhu-sange--with the Lord; navadvipe--in Navadvipa; vasi--I live there; prabhu ajna dila--but the Lord advised him; tumi--you; yao--go; varanasi--to Benares.

TRANSLATION Tapana Misra desired to live with the Lord in Navadvipa, but the Lord asked him to go to Varanasi [Benares].

TEXT 17
tahan ama-sange tomara habe darasana
ajna pana misra kaila kasite gamana
SYNONYMS tahan--there; ama-sange--with Me; tomara--your; habe--there will be; darasana--meeting; ajna pana--receiving this order; misra--Tapana Misra; kaila--did; kasite--to Benares; gamana--going.

TRANSLATION The Lord assured Tapana Misra that they would meet again in Varanasi. Receiving this order, Tapana Misra went there.

TEXT 18
prabhura atarkya-lila bujhite na pari
sva-sanga chadana kene pathaya kasipuri
SYNONYMS prabhura--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's; atarkya-lila--inconceivable pastimes; bujhite--to understand; na--not; pari--able; sva-sanga--personal association; chadana--avoiding; kene--why; pathaya--sends; kasi-puri--to Benares.

TRANSLATION I cannot understand the inconceivable pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for although Tapana Misra wanted to live with Him in Navadvipa, the Lord advised him to go to Varanasi.

PURPORT When Tapana Misra met Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Caitanya was living in household life, and there was no indication that in the future He would accept the sannyasa order. But by asking Tapana Misra to go to Varanasi He indicated that in the future He would accept sannyasa and that when He would teach Sanatana Gosvami, Tapana Misra would take advantage of the opportunity to learn the object of life and the real process of attaining it.

TEXT 19
ei mata bangera lokera kaila maha hita
'nama' diya bhakta kaila, padana pandita
SYNONYMS ei mata--in this way; bangera--of East Bengal; lokera--of the people; kaila--contributed; maha--great; hita--benefit; nama--the holy name of the Lord; diya--giving them; bhakta--devotees; kaila--made them; padana--by educating them; pandita--learned scholars.

TRANSLATION In this way Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu contributed the greatest benefit to the people of East Bengal by initiating them into hari-nama, the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, and making them learned scholars by educating them.

PURPORT Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Krsna consciousness movement is distributing the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and inducing people all over the world to chant. We are giving people an immense treasury of transcendental literature, translated into all the important languages of the world, and by the grace of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu this literature is selling profusely, and people are chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra with great delight. This is the preaching process of the Caitanya cult. Since the Lord wanted this cult preached all over the world, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is acting in a humble way so that the vision of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu may be fulfilled all over the world, especially in the Western countries.

TEXT 20
ei mata bange prabhu kare nana lila
etha navadvipe laksmi virahe duhkhi haila
SYNONYMS ei mata--in this way; bange--in East Bengal; prabhu--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kare--does; nana--various; lila--pastimes; etha--here; navadvipe--in Navadvipa; laksmi--the wife of Nimai Pandita; virahe--in separation; duhkhi--unhappy; haila--became.

TRANSLATION Because the Lord was engaged in various ways in preaching work in East Bengal, His wife, Laksmidevi, was very unhappy at home in separation from her husband.

TEXT 21
prabhura viraha-sarpa laksmire damsila
viraha-sarpa-vise tanra paraloka haila
SYNONYMS prabhura--of the Lord; viraha-sarpa--the separation snake; laksmire--Laksmidevi; damsila--bit; viraha-sarpa--of the separation snake; vise--by the poison; tanra--her; para-loka--next world; haila--it so happened.

TRANSLATION The snake of separation bit Laksmidevi, and its poison caused her death. Thus she passed to the next world. She went back home, back to Godhead.

PURPORT As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (8.6), yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram: one's practice in thinking throughout his entire life determines the quality of his thoughts at death, and thus at death one obtains a suitable body. According to this principle, Laksmidevi, the goddess of fortune from Vaikuntha, who was absorbed in thought of the Lord in separation from Him, certainly went back home to Vaikunthaloka after death.

TEXT 22
antare janila prabhu, yate antaryami
desere aila prabhu saci-duhkha jani'
SYNONYMS antare--within Himself; janila--knew; prabhu--the Lord; yate--because; antaryami--He is the Supersoul; desere--to the country; aila--returned; prabhu--the Lord; saci--of mother Sacidevi; duhkha--the unhappiness; jani'--knowing.

TRANSLATION Lord Caitanya knew about the disappearance of Laksmidevi because He is the Supersoul Himself. Thus He returned home to solace His mother, Sacidevi, who was greatly unhappy about the death of her daughter-in-law.

TEXT 23
ghare aila prabhu bahu lana dhana-jana
tattva-jnane kaila sacira duhkha vimocana
SYNONYMS ghare--home; aila--returned; prabhu--the Lord; bahu--much; lana--bringing; dhana--riches; jana--followers; tattva-jnane--by transcendental knowledge; kaila--did; sacira--of Sacimata; duhkha--the unhappiness; vimocana--relieving.

TRANSLATION When the Lord returned home, bringing with Him great wealth and many followers, He spoke to Sacidevi about transcendental knowledge to relieve her of the grief she was suffering.

PURPORT It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (2.13):

dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
"As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." Such verses from the Bhagavad-gita or any other Vedic literature give valuable instructions on the occasion of someone's passing away. By discussing such instructions from the Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, a sober man can certainly understand that the soul never dies but rather passes from one body to another. This is called transmigration of the soul. A soul comes into this material world and creates bodily relationships with a father, a mother, sisters, brothers, a wife and children, but all these relationships pertain to the body, not the soul. Therefore, as described in the Bhagavad-gita, dhiras tatra na muhyati: one who is sober is not disturbed by such phenomenal changes within this material world. Such instructions are called tattva-katha, or real truth.

TEXT 24
sisya-gana lana punah vidyara vilasa
vidya-bale saba jini' auddhatya prakasa
SYNONYMS sisya-gana--disciples; lana--taking; punah--again; vidyara--of education; vilasa--pastime; vidya-bale--by the strength of education; saba--everyone; jini'--conquering; auddhatya--of pride; prakasa--manifestation.

TRANSLATION After coming back from East Bengal, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu again began educating others. By the strength of His education He conquered everyone, and thus He was greatly proud.

TEXT 25
tabe visnupriya-thakuranira parinaya
tabe ta' karila prabhu digvijayi jaya
SYNONYMS tabe--after this; visnupriya--of the name Visnupriya; thakuranira--of the goddess of fortune; parinaya--marriage; tabe ta'--thereafter; karila--did; prabhu--the Lord; dig-vijayi--the champion; jaya--conquer.

TRANSLATION Then Lord Caitanya married Visnupriya, the goddess of fortune, and thereafter He conquered a champion of learning named Kesava Kasmiri.

PURPORT As in the modern day there are many champions in sports, so in bygone days there were many learned scholars in India who were champions in learning. One such person was Kesava Kasmiri, who came from the state of Kashmir. He traveled all over India and at last came to Navadvipa to challenge the learned scholars there. Unfortunately he could not conquer the learned scholars in Navadvipa, for he was defeated by the boy scholar Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Later he understood that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he surrendered unto Him and later became a pure Vaisnava in the sampradaya of Nimbarka. He wrote Kaustubha-prabha, a commentary on the Vedanta commentary of the Nimbarka-sampradaya, which is known as the Parijata-bhasya.
The Bhakti-ratnakara mentions Kesava Kasmiri and lists his predecessors in the disciplic succession of the Nimbarka-sampradaya: (1) Srinivasa Acarya, (2) Visva Acarya, (3) Purusottama, (4) Vilasa, (5) Svarupa, (6) Madhava, (7) Balabhadra, (8) Padma, (9) Syama, (10) Gopala, (11) Krpa, (1 2) Deva Acarya, (13) Sundara Bhatta, (14) Padmanabha, (15) Upendra, (16) Ramacandra, (17) Vamana, (18) Krsna, (19) Padmakara, (20) Sravana, (21) Bhuri, (22) Madhava, (23) Syama, (24) Gopala, (25) Balabhadra, (26) Gopinatha, (27) Kesava, (28) Gokula and (29) Kesava Kasmiri. It is stated in the Bhakti-ratnakara that Kesava Kasmiri was a favorite devotee of mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. By her grace he was an extremely influential scholar, and he was the greatest champion among all the scholars in the four corners of the country. Therefore he got the title dig-vijayi, which means "one who has conquered everyone in all directions." He belonged to a very respectable brahmana family of Kashmir. Later, by the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he gave up the profession of winning championships and became a great devotee. He joined the Nimbarka-sampradaya, one of the Vaisnava communities of the Vedic culture.

TEXT 26
vrndavana-dasa iha kariyachena vistara
sphuta nahi kare dosa-gunera vicara
SYNONYMS vrndavana-dasa--Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura; iha--this; kariyachena--has made; vistara--elaborate description; sphuta--what was clear; nahi--not; kare--does; dosa-gunera--of both the faults and the virtues; vicara--analysis.

TRANSLATION Vrndavana dasa Thakura has previously elaborately described this. That which is clear need not be scrutinized for good qualities and faults.

TEXT 27
sei amsa kahi, tanre kari' namaskara
ya' suni' digvijayi kaila apana dhik-kara
SYNONYMS sei--that; amsa--portion; kahi--I mention; tanre--unto Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura; kari'--making; namaskara--obeisances; ya'--of which; suni--hearing; dig-vijayi--the conquering pandita; kaila--did; apana--his own; dhik-kara--condemnation.

TRANSLATION Offering my obeisances to Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, I shall try to describe that portion of the Lord's analysis which, when he heard it, made the Digvijayi feel himself condemned.

TEXT 28
jyotsnavati ratri, prabhu sisya-gana sange
vasiyachena gangatire vidyara prasange
SYNONYMS jyotsnavati--full moon; ratri--night; prabhu--Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sisya-gana--disciples; sange--along with; vasiyachena--was sitting; ganga-tire--on the bank of the Ganges; vidyara--educational; prasange--in discussion.

TRANSLATION On one full moon night the Lord was sitting on the bank of the Ganges with His many disciples and discussing literary topics.

TEXT 29
hena-kale digvijayi tahani aila
gangare vandana kari' prabhure milila
SYNONYMS hena-kale--at this time; dig-vijayi--Kesava Kasmiri; tahani--there; aila--reached; gangare--to mother Ganges; vandana--prayers; kari'--offering; prabhure--the Lord; milila--met.

TRANSLATION Coincidentally Kesava Kasmiri Pandita also came there. While offering his prayers to mother Ganges, he met Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 30
vasaila tare prabhu adara kariya
digvijayi kahe mane avajna kariya
SYNONYMS vasaila--made seated; tare--him; prabhu--the Lord; adara--adoration; kariya--offering him; dig-vijayi--Kesava Kasmiri; kahe--says; mane--within his mind; avajna--disregard; kariya--doing.

TRANSLATION The Lord received him with adoration, but because Kesava Kasmiri was very proud, he talked to the Lord very inconsiderately.

TEXT 31
vyakarana padaha, nimani pandita tomara nama
balya-sastre loke tomara kahe guna-grama
SYNONYMS vyakarana--grammar; padaha--You teach; nimani pandita--Nimai Pandita; tomara--Your; nama--name; balya-sastre--in grammar, which is considered a study for boys; loke--the people in general; tomara--of You; kahe--declare; guna-grama--very qualified.

TRANSLATION "I understand that You are a teacher of grammar," he said, "and that Your name is Nimai Pandita. People speak very highly of Your teaching of beginners' grammar."

PURPORT Formerly Sanskrit schools first taught grammar very thoroughly, and this system continues even now. A student was supposed to study grammar carefully for twelve years in the beginning of his life, because if one is expert in the grammar of the Sanskrit language, all the sastras are open to him. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was famous for teaching grammar to students, and therefore Kesava Kasmiri first referred to His position as a teacher of grammar. He was very proud of his literary career; he was far above the first lessons of grammar, and so he thought the position of Nimai Pandita not at all comparable to his own.

TEXT 32
vyakarana-madhye, jani, padaha kalapa
sunilun phankite tomara sisyera samlapa
SYNONYMS vyakarana-madhye--among grammars; jani--I understand; padaha--You teach; kalapa--the Kalapa-vyakarana; sunilun--I have heard; phankite--in deceitful word jugglery; tomara--Your; sisyera--of the disciples; samlapa--the specific knowledge.

TRANSLATION "I understand that You teach Kalapa-vyakarana. I have heard that Your students are very expert in the word jugglery of this grammar."

PURPORT There are many schools of grammar in the Sanskrit language, the most famous of which are the systems of Panini and the Kalapa and Kaumudi grammars. There were different branches of grammatical knowledge, and a student of grammar was supposed to study them all in twelve years. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was famous as Nimai Pandita, taught grammar to His students, who became expert in dealing with the word jugglery of complicated grammar. Almost anyone expert in studying grammar interprets the sastras in many ways by changing the root meanings of their words. A student of grammar can sometimes completely change the meaning of a sentence by juggling grammatical rules. Kesava Kasmiri indirectly taunted Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by implying that although He was a great teacher of grammar, such grammatical jugglery of root meanings did not require great expertise. This was a challenge to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because it was prearranged that Kesava Kasmiri would have to discuss the sastras with Nimai Pandita, from the very beginning he wanted to bluff the Lord. Thus the Lord replied as follows.

TEXT 33
prabhu kahe, vyakarana padai----abhimana kari
sisyete na bujhe, ami bujhaite nari
SYNONYMS prabhu kahe--the Lord replied; vyakarana padai--yes, I teach grammar; abhimana kari--I am supposed to do so; sisyete--amongst My disciples; na--do not; bujhe--understand; ami--I also; bujhaite--to make them understand; nari--am not able.

TRANSLATION The Lord said, "Yes, I am known as a teacher of grammar, but factually I cannot impress My students with grammatical knowledge, nor can they understand Me very well.

PURPORT Since Kesava Kasmiri was a little puffed up, the Lord increased his artificial pride by presenting Himself as subordinate to him. Thus He flattered him as follows.

TEXT 34
kahan tumi sarva-sastre kavitve pravina
kahan ami sabe sisu----paduya navina
SYNONYMS kahan--whereas; tumi--your good self; sarva-sastre--in all scriptures; kavitve--in a literary career; pravina--very experienced; kahan--whereas; ami--I; sabe--just; sisu--a boy; paduya--student; navina--new.

TRANSLATION "My dear sir, whereas you are a very learned scholar in all sorts of scriptures and are very experienced in composing poetry, I am only a boy--a new student and nothing more."

TEXT 35
tomara kavitva kichu sunite haya mana
krpa kari' kara yadi gangara varnana
SYNONYMS tomara--your; kavitva--poetic integrity; kichu--something; sunite--to hear; haya--becomes; mana--mind; krpa--mercy; kari'--showing Me; kara--you do; yadi--if; gangara--of mother Ganges; varnana--description.

TRANSLATION "Therefore I desire to hear your skill in composing poetry. We could hear this if you would mercifully describe the glory of mother Ganges."

TEXT 36
suniya brahmana garve varnite lagila
ghati eke sata sloka gangara varnila
SYNONYMS suniya--hearing this; brahmana--the pandita, Kesava Kasmiri; garve--in pride; varnite--to describe; lagila--began; ghati--hour; eke--one; sata--hundred; sloka--verses; gangara--of the Ganges; varnila--described.

TRANSLATION When the brahmana, Kesava Kasmiri, heard this, he became still more puffed up, and within one hour he composed one hundred verses describing mother Ganges.

TEXT 37
suniya karila prabhu bahuta satkara
toma sama prthivite kavi nahi ara
SYNONYMS suniya--hearing this; karila--did; prabhu--the Lord; bahuta--very much; satkara--high praise; toma--you; sama--like; prthivite--in the world; kavi--poet; nahi--there is not; ara--anyone else.

TRANSLATION The Lord praised him, saying, "Sir, there is no greater poet than you in the entire world."

TEXT 38
tomara kavita sloka bujhite kara sakti
tumi bhala jana artha kimva sarasvati
SYNONYMS tomara--your; kavita--poetry; sloka--verses; bujhite--to understand; kara--whose; sakti--power; tumi--you; bhala--well; jana--know; artha--meaning; kimva--or; sarasvati--the goddess of learning.

TRANSLATION "Your poetry is so difficult that no one can understand it but you and mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning."

PURPORT Replying to Kesava Kasmiri sarcastically, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu indirectly minimized the value of his poetry by saying, "Yes, your compositions are so nice that no one but you and your worshipable mother, the goddess of learning, can understand them." Kesava Kasmiri was a favorite devotee of mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the master of the goddess of learning, has the right to speak sarcastically of her devotees. In other words, although Kesava Kasmiri was proud of being favored by the goddess of learning, he did not know that she is controlled by Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 39
eka slokera artha yadi kara nija-mukhe
suni' saba loka tabe paiba bada-sukhe
SYNONYMS eka--one; slokera--of a verse; artha--the meaning; yadi--if; kara--you do; nija-mukhe--by your own mouth; suni'--hearing; saba--all; loka--persons; tabe--thereafter; paiba--we shall get; bada-sukhe--with great happiness.

TRANSLATION "But if you explain the meaning of one verse, we can all hear it from your own mouth and thus be very happy."

TEXT 40
tabe digvijayi vyakhyara sloka puchila
sata slokera eka sloka prabhu ta' padila
SYNONYMS tabe--thereafter; dig-vijayi--Kesava Kasmiri; vyakhyara--for explanation; sloka--a verse; puchila--inquired about; sata--one hundred; slokera--of the verses; eka--one; sloka--verse; prabhu--the Lord; ta'--then; padila--recited.

TRANSLATION The Digvijayi, Kesava Kasmiri, inquired which verse He wanted explained. The Lord then recited one of the one hundred verses Kesava Kasmiri had composed.

TEXT 41
mahattvam gangayah satatam idam abhati nitaram
yad esa sri-visnos carana-kamalotpatti-subhaga
dvitiya-sri-laksmir iva sura-narair arcya-carana
bhavani-bhartur ya sirasi vibhavaty adbhuta-guna
SYNONYMS mahattvam--greatness; gangayah--of mother Ganges; satatam--always; idam--this; abhati--shines; nitaram--without comparison; yat--because; esa--she; sri-visnoh--of Lord Visnu; carana--feet; kamala--lotus flower; utpatti--generation; subhaga--fortunate; dvitiya--second; sri--beautiful; laksmih--goddess of fortune; iva--like; sura-naraih--by demigods and human beings; arcya--worshipable; carana--feet; bhavani--of goddess Durga; bhartuh--of the husband; ya--she; sirasi--on the head; vibhavati--flourishes; adbhuta--wonderful; guna--qualities.

TRANSLATION " 'The greatness of mother Ganges always brilliantly exists. She is the most fortunate because she emanated from the lotus feet of Sri Visnu, the Personality of Godhead. She is the second goddess of fortune, and therefore she is always worshiped both by demigods and by humanity. Endowed with all wonderful qualities, she flourishes on the head of Lord Siva.' "

TEXT 42
'ei slokera artha kara'----prabhu yadi baila
vismita hana digvijayi prabhure puchila
SYNONYMS ei--this; slokera--of the verse; artha--explanation; kara--kindly do; prabhu--Lord Caitanya; yadi--when; baila--said; vismita--struck with wonder; hana--being; dig-vijayi--the champion; prabhure--unto the Lord; puchila--inquired.

TRANSLATION When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him to explain the meaning of this verse, the champion, very much astonished, inquired from Him as follows.

TEXT 43
jhanjhavata-praya ami sloka padila
tara madhye sloka tumi kaiche kanthe kaila
SYNONYMS jhanjha-vata--the strong wind of a storm; praya--like; ami--I; sloka--verses; padila--recited; tara--of them; madhye--in the midst; sloka--one verse; tumi--You; kaiche--how; kanthe--within the heart; kaila--have taken.

TRANSLATION "I recited all the verses like the blowing wind. How could You completely learn by heart even one among those verses?"

TEXT 44
prabhu kahe, devera vare tumi----'kavi-vara'
aiche devera vare keho haya 'srutidhara'
SYNONYMS prabhu--the Lord; kahe--replied; devera--of a superior power; vare--by benediction; tumi--you; kavi-vara--the most elevated poet; aiche--similarly; devera--of the Lord; vare--by the benediction; keho--someone; haya--becomes; sruti-dhara--one who can immediately remember.

TRANSLATION The Lord replied, "By the grace of the Lord someone may become a great poet, and similarly by His grace someone else may become a great sruti-dhara who can memorize anything immediately."

PURPORT In this connection, sruti-dhara is a very important word. Sruti means "hearing" and dhara means "one who can capture." Formerly, before the beginning of Kali-yuga, almost everyone, especially among the intelligent men, the brahmanas, was a sruti-dhara. As soon as a student heard any of the Vedic wisdom from his master, he would remember it forever. There was no need to refer to books, and therefore there were no written books in those days. The spiritual master delivered the Vedic hymns and their explanations to the student, who would then remember them forever, without consulting books.
To become a sruti-dhara, one who can remember simply by hearing, is a great achievement for a student. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.41) the Lord says:

yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-'msa-sambhavam
"Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor." (Bg. 10.41)
As soon as we find anything extraordinary, we should understand that such an extraordinary manifestation is the special grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied to the champion, Kesava Kasmiri, that just as he was greatly proud of being a favorite devotee of mother Sarasvati, so someone else, like He Himself, being favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could become a sruti-dhara and thus memorize anything immediately simply by hearing it.

TEXT 45
slokera artha kaila vipra paiya santosa
prabhu kahe----kaha slokera kiba guna-dosa
SYNONYMS slokera--of the verse; artha--explanation; kaila--made; vipra--the brahmana; paiya--obtaining; santosa--satisfaction; prabhu--the Lord; kahe--said; kaha--kindly speak; slokera--of the verse; kiba--what are; guna--qualities; dosa--faults.

TRANSLATION Satisfied by the statement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the brahmana [Kesava Kasmiri] explained the quoted verse. Then the Lord said, "Now kindly explain the special qualities and faults in the verse."

PURPORT Not only did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pick out this one among the one hundred verses and remember it although the brahmana had recited them like the blowing wind, but He also analyzed its qualities and faults. Not only did He hear the verse, but He immediately made a critical study of it.

TEXT 46
vipra kahe sloke nahi dosera abhasa
upamalankara guna, kichu anuprasa
SYNONYMS vipra kahe--the brahmana replied; sloke--in that verse; nahi--there is not; dosera--of fault; abhasa--even a tinge; upama-alankara--simile or metaphor; guna--quality; kichu--something; anuprasa--alliteration.

TRANSLATION The brahmana replied, "There is not a tinge of fault in that verse. Rather, it has the good qualities of similes and alliteration."

PURPORT In the last line of the verse quoted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the letter bha is repeated many times, as in the words bhavani, bhartur, vibhavati and adbhuta. Such repetition is called anuprasa, or alliteration. The words laksmir iva and visnos carana-kamalotpatti are instances of upama-alankara, for they exhibit metaphorical beauty. The Ganges is water, and Laksmi is the goddess of fortune. Since water and a person are not actually similar, the comparison is metaphorical.

TEXT 47
prabhu kahena,----kahi, yadi na karaha rosa
kaha tomara ei sloke kiba ache dosa
SYNONYMS prabhu kahena--the Lord replied; kahi--let Me say; yadi--if; na--do not; karaha--you become; rosa--angry; kaha--please tell Me; tomara--your; ei sloke--in this verse; kiba--what; ache--there is; dosa--fault.

TRANSLATION The Lord said, "My dear sir, I may say something to you if you will not become angry. Can you explain the faults in this verse?"

TEXT 48
pratibhara kavya tomara devata santose
bhala-mate vicarile jani guna-dose
SYNONYMS pratibhara--of ingenuity; kavya--poetry; tomara--your; devata--the Lord; santose--satisfies; bhala-mate--scrutinizingly; vicarile--on analyzing; jani--I know; guna-dose--there are faults and good qualities also.

TRANSLATION "There is no doubt that your poetry is full of ingenuity, and certainly it has satisfied the Supreme Lord. Yet if we scrutinizingly consider it we can find both good qualities and faults."

TEXT 49
tate bhala kari' sloka karaha vicara
kavi kahe,----ye kahile sei veda-sara
SYNONYMS tate--therefore; bhala--very carefully; kari'--doing it; sloka--the verse; karaha--do; vicara--judgment; kavi kahe--the poet said; ye kahile--what You have said; sei--that is; veda-sara--exactly right.

TRANSLATION The Lord concluded, "Now, therefore, let us carefully scrutinize this verse." The poet replied, "Yes, the verse You have recited is perfectly correct.

TEXT 50
vyakaraniya tumi nahi pada alankara
tumi ki janibe ei kavitvera sara
SYNONYMS vyakaraniya--a student of grammar; tumi--You are; nahi--do not; pada--study; alankara--poetic ornaments; tumi--You; ki--what; janibe--will know; ei--this; kavitvera--of poetic quality; sara--review.

TRANSLATION "You are an ordinary student of grammar. What do You know about literary embellishments? You cannot review this poetry because You do not know anything about it."

PURPORT Kesava Kasmiri first wanted to bluff Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by saying that since He was not an advanced student in literary style, He could not review a verse full of metaphors and literary ornaments. This argument has some basis in fact. Unless one is a medical man one cannot criticize a medical man, and unless one is a lawyer he cannot criticize a lawyer. Therefore Kesava Kasmiri first depreciated the Lord's position. Because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was to the champion a student of grammar, how could He dare criticize a great poet like him? Lord Caitanya, therefore, criticized the poet in a different way. He said that although He was certainly not advanced in a literary career, He had heard from others how to criticize such poetry, and as a sruti-dhara, possessing a complete memory, He could understand the process for such a review.

TEXT 51
prabhu kahena----ataeva puchiye tomare
vicariya guna-dosa bujhaha amare
SYNONYMS prabhu kahena--the Lord said; ataeva--therefore; puchiye--I am asking; tomare--you; vicariya--completely reviewing; guna--qualities; dosa--faults; bujhaha--teach; amare--Me.

TRANSLATION Taking a humble position, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Because I am not of your level, I have asked you to teach Me by explaining the faults and good qualities in your poetry."

TEXT 52
nahi padi alankara, kariyachi sravana
tate ei sloke dekhi bahu dosa-guna
SYNONYMS nahi padi--I do not study; alankara--the art of literary embellishment; kariyachi--I have done; sravana--hearing; tate--by that; ei sloke--in this verse; dekhi--I see; bahu--many; dosa--faults; guna--good qualities.

TRANSLATION "Certainly I have not studied the art of literary embellishments. But I have heard about it from higher circles, and thus I can review this verse and find in it many faults and many good qualities."

PURPORT The statement kariyachi sravana ("I have heard it") is very important in the sense that hearing is more important than directly studying or perceiving. If one is expert in hearing and hears from the right source, his knowledge is immediately perfect. This process is called srauta-pantha, or the acquisition of knowledge by hearing from authorities. All Vedic knowledge is based on the principle that one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and hear from the authoritative statements of the Vedas. It is not necessary for one to be a highly polished literary man to receive knowledge; to receive perfect knowledge from a perfect person, one must be expert in hearing. This is called the descending process of deductive knowledge, or avaroha-pantha.

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